Cold

The snow is soft,

and how it squashes!

“Galumph, galumph!”

go my galoshes.

Thaw by Eunice Tietjens

Cold Weather Gear

The biggest impact the cold weather has is in putting barriers between you and your mobile device so having gloves with conductive material in the finger tips is a must.

Bring a spare sock or glove to keep your phone in whilst moving around so as to keep it at an ambient temperature for optimum battery life and processing power.

Counter intuitively – although anyone who has been skiing will know all too well – the winter sun is not to be dismissed. Sun burn and sun glare are things that you may have to contend with on cloudless days, especially where snow has fallen. Take care to keep any exposed skin and your eyes protected from the suns rays, the temperature may be cold but don’t be fooled the UV will affect you.

You can get the gel packs that warm your hands up but that’s old school, how about a hand warmer that doubles as a battery pack giving you charging capabilities for your mobile device whilst keeping your hands warm enough to give you time to remove your gloves and catch that all important shiny, battle the gym or take on the raid boss.

Things To Note For Cold Weather Play

Cold weather affects not only you but also your mobile device. It can affect the battery performance along with general CPU processing speeds. If you keep the device warm (but not too warm) you should be fine. Keeping the device at a mostly ambient temperature can also reduce the risk of water damage. This is not the water damage from dropping the device into a body of water. This damage comes from condensation when moving from a cold environment to a warm environment (when going indoors after being outside for some time). This moisture can form inside the device and damage components so its a good idea to – when you are not using it – keep the device somewhere warm (hence the spare sock or glove suggestion earlier) 

Warm

It’s Winter here
In Florida
How do I know
The calendar says so

Winter in Florida by Mike Hauser

In places where its winter in name only and the weather resembles nothing more than a slight change from autumn and spring, or in the hemisphere where its summer, the attire and gear you will need will be much different but there are a few crossovers/different versions of the same thing

Warm Weather Attire

Whilst not quite the temperature for a thick woolly hat warmer weather still requires one just of a different type. Its always a good idea to shade your head and if you can your ears and the back of your neck with a wide brimmed hat, if that isn’t your choice of fashionable accessory then at least a baseball cap to cover the top of your head and shade your face from the sun. Neck gaiters – like with colder weather – are good items to have with you but again not as thick and as insulating as their colder counterpart but just as useful. In this instance they cover the neck (especially the back) and protect from the sun. Clothing for the rest of the body really is more comfort than for protection from the elements. T-shirts or long sleeves, shorts or logged legged light trouser, whatever you feel comfortable in. The sensible suggestions are always to cover up wherever possible to reduce sun exposure but sometimes temperatures may make that less desirable. Finally footwear should be sturdy to maintain good grip but also light and airy to keep your feet cool.

Warm Weather Gear

Don’t under estimate the weather, the suns rays and the heat that you may encounter. Keeping a small bag on you with a few essentials is a must, sun cream, a water bottle and maybe even a personal fan can all be carried and used when needed, its always better to have them and not need them then not have them. 

When it comes to personal fans a hands free option is preferred as it gives you the ability to keep cool and play a the same time. Various options are available but something like this device that hangs round your neck providing cool air to your head and neck is certainly an option.

I personally have found that the fans just tend to blow slightly cooler air at you but it is still mostly hot, but others swear by them so they are certainly something to consider. Throughout the summer here were it regularly got over 35+degrees C/100+ degrees F I found that a neck towel was a much better option and have a few of these now:

Continuing with the hands free cooling theme, hands free shade is probably one of the most useful items you’ll add to your exploring kit and a umbrella hat – whilst the most kookiest of kooky items – protects you from the sun and gives you the shade to allow you to see your mobile device screen.

Its not something for everyone and it is certainly a talking point but it can be a very practical item to give the user the ability to play and keep cool all at the same time.

If you aren’t wanting to go all in with an umbrella hat but still want to give your mobile device shade from the suns rays then how about the slightly less kooky phone umbrella. This actually helps viewing the screen as harsh bright sunlight can make it difficult

If you pair it with the umbrella hat you’ll certainly be the talk of any Community Days or events you attend, but even without the hat its an attention grabber for sure along with being a practical way to play in bright weather. I also found at this years GOFest in London that it works just as well in wet weather:

If you are playing in warmer temperatures and want to cool your phone down a radiator fan attached to the rear of the device can be some short term assistance. This is, however, not something that should be used for prolonged periods as battling the heat to try to keep the device in general cool just means you are still overworking the device but for a longer period. Used sparingly you can extend your battery whilst out and about and it has an added bonus of keeping your hand cool as well.

Things To Note For Warm Weather Play

In much the same way as cold weather, hot weather impacts your battery and CPU performance with the latter’s potential to overheat and even cause damage to your device greatly increased. As much as is possible keep your device out of direct sunlight as the hotter it gets the slower it will become and the greater the potential for damage.

Conclusion

The seasons are not the same for everyone and there isn’t a one size fits all for items of clothing, items to carry with you and ways to keep yourself and your device safe. So pick out the things from this article that work for you in the weather your are experiencing but as always prioritize yourself and your own health and safety first before even deciding to venture out in the world and play.